Crab

The stalwart Crab are the defenders of Rokugan, responsible for ensuring the Empire's southern border is secure against the demons of the Shadowlands. Centuries of constant warfare against inhuman foes have hardened the Crab into tremendously powerful and brutally practical warriors, but they have little sense of civility or manners. As a result they are often considered crude and barbaric by the other clans.

Hiruma Scout

After the fall of Hiruma Castle, the Hiruma family had no sensei and was unable to preserve the knowledge of its ancient bushi school (the school listed in the L5R 4th Edition Core rulebook as “Hiruma Bushi”). Most of the samurai who actually knew its advanced techniques had perished in battle with the Maw, and those who knew its more basic methods were too focused on fighting and surviving to pass on their wisdom. By the time the family realized their school was in danger of perishing, it was too late.

Hiruma Bushi

Where the Hida Bushi School teaches endurance and strength, their Hiruma cousins teach avoidance and targeting weak points in an enemy's defenses with lightning fast strikes. The lessons taught by their sensei are essential to fulfilling their duties as warriors inside the Shadowlands. Those who do not heed their teachers well do not survive to perpetuate their mistakes. Those who excel at their lessons become a scourge upon the Shadowlands, moving through that dark realm with speed and grace, leaving death in their wake.

Children of the Lord Sun

Since the war in the heavens, the Shadowlands has stilled, with even random attacks on the wall now extremely uncommon. Enough time has passed now that many samurai do not believe in the Shadowlands, and even those with reason to know better outside of the Crab are beginning to question the levels of resources that the Crab get from the rest of the empire, until and unless a threat is shown.

Hida Pragmatist

The practitioners of Kobo Ichi-Kai, whose primary dojo is located in Clear Water Village, focus on unarmed combat above all other forms of martial conflict. Although sometimes considered a touch bizarre by other Crab warriors, they are nonetheless respected because of their sheer physical power and ability to devastate virtually any opponent in hand-to-hand combat. Pragmatists make fine yojimbo, since they can leave their weapons at the door and suffer only minimal loss of effectiveness when doing so.

Hida Bushi

The Hida fighting style is one of the oldest and most respected bushi schools in the Empire, and one with a very basic premise: endure the enemy's attacks until you have the opportunity to crush him with sheer brute force. The style was shaped by the Clan's early years combating oni and other Shadowlands enemies, when only the strongest and most resilient among Hida's followers survived. The Hida Bushi School encompasses two broad themes: damage mitigation and heavy weapon use.

Yasuki

Strangely at odds with the other Crab families, the Yasuki are slight of build and devious of mind. They were once part of the Crane Clan, but joined the Crab in the third century, provoking the first great internal war in Rokugani history. They are merchants and courtiers, always looking for any means to gain an advantage for their Clan, and tend to be more concerned with monetary gain than is considered respectable for someone of the samurai caste.

Toritaka

The tiny Toritaka family was once known as the Falcon Clan before tragedy threatened to destroy the Minor Clan completely. It was absorbed by the Crab to prevent a threat from growing within its ranks. The Toritaka hail from a region frequented by spirits, and they are highly knowledgeable about ghosts and spirits of all different sorts.

Kuni

Sinister in appearance and deed, the Kuni are among the most feared shugenja families in the Empire. Long ago, the family's leadership determined the only hope of defeating the Shadowlands lay in understanding it, and so the Kuni possess knowledge of things that would drive most men mad.

Kaiu

The industrious Kaiu are responsible for th emost impressive and long-standing feats of engineering in all the Empire. They are the siege engineers and architects of the Crab Clan, and are responsible for maintaining the Great Carpenter Wall as well as its defenses.

Hiruma

Silent and deadly, the Hiruma are the scouts and yojimbo of the Crab. They are as agile and graceful as the Hida are powerful, and warriors from the two families tend to complement one another very well. Hiruma samurai often have the unsavory duty of scouting the Shadowlands for enemies, a task that leads many to death or ruination.

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